Fans select six Man of the Year finalists

Results are in from the thousands of baseball fans who chose the six finalists -- one from each division -- for the 2007 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. The balloting took place on MLB.com and MLBPLAYERS.com from Sept. 4-10.

Ballots will be distributed to all Major League players in clubhouses to determine the winner of the award that has been given annually since 1992 to a player who combines outstanding achievement on the field and extraordinary accomplishment off the field.

One of the finalists in the fans' balloting is St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who won the award last year. Pujols, who batted .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBIs in 2006, also established the Pujols Family Foundation, dedicated to the love, care and development of people with Down Syndrome.

The other finalists for the honor, named for the first executive director of the Major League Players Association, are New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Minnesota Twins center fielder Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine and San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy.

Players will make their choices from the fan-chosen finalists Tuesday and Wednesday in balloting conducted by the accounting firm KPMG. Along with the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, the 2007 Players Choice Awards also honor the outstanding player, rookie, pitcher, and comeback player in each league, as well as the overall Player of the Year.

Players Choice Award winners in all categories this year will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Over the past 15 years, the Players Trust has contributed more than $3 million to charities around the world.

Other past winners of the Man of the Year Award include Jim Thome, John Smoltz, Mike Sweeney, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Eric Davis and Paul Molitor.

Below are the 2007 Marvin Miller Man of the Year finalists:

American League East

New York Yankees -- Derek Jeter: In addition to being a leader in his team's clubhouse, Derek has been at the forefront of a number of charitable efforts. For more than 10 years, Derek's Turn 2 Foundation has raised more than $7 million to help children across the country. Turn 2 creates and finances programs that promote the development of sound academic, fitness and leadership habits among children and to caution against the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

American League Central

Minnesota Twins -- Torii Hunter: Torii's passion in life is baseball, both in playing the game and in sharing it with those less fortunate. This year, Torii created the Torii Hunter Project, which partners with the Little League Urban Initiative to stop the disappearance of baseball diamonds from America's inner cities. Additionally, Torii devotes his time and money to organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Twin Cities, Athletes in Action, and he is active with a number of programs organized by the Major League Baseball Players Trust.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels -- Vladimir Guerrero: Through his Vlad's Pad program, Guerrero donates 127 tickets to each Angels home game, which are distributed to charities in the area, with a focus on children. The Vlads Pad program enables more than 10,000 children to attend games at Angel Stadium each season. Guerrero has also been involved with the local charitable group called Padres Contra El Cancer that donates game tickets for children and families affected by cancer. In the Dominican Republic, the Guerrero family business -- Los Hermanos Guerrero -- provides several job opportunities in his hometown.

National League East

New York Mets -- Tom Glavine: Tom's resume of charitable involvement is matched only by his many baseball accomplishments. Over the course of his 21-year career, Tom has been actively involved in charities such as Volunteers of America, New York's Operation Backpack campaign, the Georgia Transplant Foundation, Tuesday's Children, the Leukemia Society of America and he worked with Major League Baseball as part of the Commissioner's Initiative for Kids. Also, Tom rallied his Mets teammates to donate more than $625,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief.

National League Central

St. Louis Cardinals -- Albert Pujols: Winner of the 2006 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, Albert and his wife Deidre are the founders of the Pujols Family Foundation, which is dedicated to the love, care and development of people with Down Syndrome and their families. Albert annually hosts a charity golf tournament to raise money for the foundation. The Pujols family dedicates its time not only to those with Down Syndrome, but also to the impoverished children and orphans of the Dominican Republic by donating money and time for education and gifts.

National League West

San Diego Padres -- Jake Peavy: During the offseason, Jake hosted and mentored 30 boys at a five-day leadership camp in Mobile, Ala., called Team Focus. The goal of the camp is to provide guidance in the lives of young fatherless men, ages 10 to 17. During the season, more than 1,800 children from inner-city recreation centers attend a game as part of Jake Peavy's charity ticket program. Jake actively supports the men and women serving in the Armed Forces, appearing at four local military bases (MCAS Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, NAS 32nd Street and NAS North Island) to sign autographs.

The following players were nominated by their teammates for the 2007 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award: